Tag insomnia

Consensus Statement (published in June 2015 issue) from American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society recommends 7 or more hours of sleep every night.

1. Sleeping less than 7 hours per night on a regular basis is associated with adverse health outcomes, including weight gain and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression, and increased risk of death. Sleeping less than 7 hours per night is also associated with impaired immune function, increased pain, impaired performance, increased errors, and greater risk of accidents.

2. Sleeping more than 9 hours per night on a regular basis may be appropriate for young adults, individuals recovering from sleep debt, and individuals with illnesses. For others, it is uncertain whether sleeping more than 9 hours per night is associated with health risk.
3. People concerned they are sleeping too little or too much should consult their healthcare provider.

Here are eight foods rich in sleep-inducing ingredients that can naturally help you get more z’s.

1. Fish is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that raises serotonin levels that are needed to make melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps to control your sleep and wake cycles.

2. Dairy products like yogurt, milk and cheese are rich in melatonin-boosting calcium, and a number of studies are finding that being calcium-deficient may make it difficult to fall asleep.

3. Cherries, especially the tart varieties, are one of the few food sources of melatonin, the sleep hormone that regulates your internal clock.

4. Bananas, well-known for being rich in potassium, are also a good source of magnesium. Bananas also contain tryptophan, an amino acid that has been linked to sleep quality.

5. Nuts are rich in magnesium and also provide calcium – two minerals that help promote sleep.

6. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), the main ingredient in hummus, are not only rich in tryptophan, but also in folate and vitamin B6.

7. Dark leafy green vegetables (such as spinach, Swiss chard, kale, turnip greens and collard greens) are rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium. These minerals play an important role in helping you sleep.

8. A smart, soothing beverage to drink before bedtime is an herbal tea such as chamomile or peppermint.

Improvement in memory performance following sleep was lower with bedtime dosing of zolpidem-ER compared to placebo and middle-of-the-night dosing of zaleplon. There were no differences between placebo and zaleplon.

The results suggest that in some circumstances hypnotics may have the potential to reduce the degree of sleep-dependent memory consolidation and that drug-free sleep early in the night may ameliorate this effect.

If you have a difficulty falling asleep, please follow these sleep hygiene tips and minimize the use of sleeping pills, which should be used sparingly and under the guidance of a physician, preferably a sleep physician.

Some studies, for instance, indicate that short sleep duration increases levels of the gut hormone, ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry and often leads to increased eating.

Poor sleep might also increase the reward value of eating by making certain foods seem more attractive and increasing our motivation to obtain them. This idea is supported by recent research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures activity in specific regions of the brain by detecting changes in blood flow.

The study found that, in people with limited sleep, the brain regions associated with reward “lit up” more in response to pictures of tasty food, suggesting that sleepy people found these foods more appealing.

At the same time, lack of sleep might also impair our ability to make decisions and exert self-control over food intake.

In another recent brain imaging study, 23 healthy people had a night of normal sleep and a night of total sleep deprivation followed by fMRI scans.

After sleep deprivation, there was greater activity in the amygdala region of the brain (which is important for reward behaviour) in response to pictures of food. Sleep-deprived participants also reported a greater desire specifically for high-calorie foods compared to low-calorie foods.

At the same time, the scans showed other regions of the brain believed to be important for “higher-level” brain function and self-control were less active after sleep deprivation. This means sleepy people may be less able to control what and how much they eat.

Over last 20 years of my practice, I have seen hundreds of patients frustrated by their inability to fall asleep or stay asleep or both. A brief video clip shared here explains insomnia and gives you a few tips to help you get started in the right direction. My sedating voice in this video is supposed to help you fall asleep!

“Drinking a big cup of coffee on the way home from work can lead to negative effects on sleep just as if someone were to consume caffeine closer to bedtime,” study researcher Christopher Drake, Ph.D., an investigator at the Henry Ford Sleep Disorders and Research Center and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State University, said in a statement. “People tend to be less likely to detect the disruptive effects of caffeine on sleep when taken in the afternoon.”

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, included 12 healthy people with normal sleep patterns. For the four-day study, participants were instructed to maintain normal sleep schedules while taking three pills: one at six hours before bedtime, one at three hours before bedtime, and one right before bedtime. However, for three of the days, two of the pills were placebo pills and only one actually contained caffeine (400 milligrams’ worth, the equivalent of two to three cups of coffee). That way, researchers could see the effect taking the caffeine pill would have on sleep when taken six hours before bed, three hours before bed, and right before bed. On the fourth day, all three pills were placebo pills with no caffeine.

Well, there are times even a sleep doc can’t fall asleep! This happens most commonly prior to a big trip or sometimes after a page from the hospital or a phone call from the sleep lab. I used to get frustrated and worried about the busy day next day, which in turn would make matters worse.

Now, I have learned to relax. I do progressive muscle relaxation starting from my scalp muscles all the way down to my toe muscles; I contract them one by one, and feel them relaxing while I breathe slow and deep. This whole process if done leisurely would take 10-15 minutes. After I am done with this, I just lay there limp, completely atonic.

Then I work on my racing mind. I practice complete detachment (Vairagya). I observe these thoughts as a third person. They arise and they subside. I do nothing with them. I give up all the worries, desires, expectations, and anger to Almighty, to the Higher Power, and I just lay there completely relaxed.

This is called Savasana, which literally means “corpse posture.” When I do this, I get the physical, mental, and spiritual rejuvenation despite being awake.

I may fall asleep; I may not fall asleep. I do not worry. I do not care. Sleep is a natural phenomenon. If it comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I don’t care. I trust the Lord. I have been through tougher times with little sleep in the past. I can do that again with the help the Lord.

Well, I hope you don’t have difficulty falling asleep, but if you do, I urge you to try this. If you find it beneficial, share this post and spread the wealth!